The city of Tokyo was bathed in the orange hue of early evening, the kind of glow that made shadows stretch and the skyline shimmer in watercolor tones. The rush of the day had faded into a peaceful lull, but for Ajax Evarson, the excitement was far from over. His morning with Masashi Kishimoto had been electric, filled with chakra charts, clan mechanics, and the philosophical weight of Kekkei Genkai. Now, the horizon offered a different kind of energy—one as boundless as the sea.
It was time to meet Eiichiro Oda.
The location was more lively than the quiet teahouse from the morning. Ajax had chosen a cozy, ship-themed izakaya tucked along the Sumida River. Lanterns hung like fireflies from the rafters, swaying gently above wooden tables fashioned from repurposed boats. The walls were plastered with nautical maps, mock pirate flags, and faded posters of old seafaring films. The moment Ajax walked in, he knew it was the perfect setting.
He was already seated in a booth shaped like a ship's hull, sipping a dark, earthy sake when the paper curtain lifted.
Eiichiro Oda arrived in his signature beanie and casual tee, a light summer jacket tossed over his shoulder. He was a man of immense imagination, and his eyes were a mirror to that chaos—flickering with humor, mischief, and a boundless curiosity.
"Evarson-san?" he said, adjusting his glasses.
Ajax rose with a broad smile and extended his hand. "Oda-sensei. An absolute honor. Please, call me Ajax."
Oda shook his hand with a grip far stronger than expected, laughing lightly. "A pirate-themed bar? You really did your homework."
Ajax chuckled as they sat. "We sail tonight, don't we? Thought we might as well do it in style."
As drinks were poured and the first plates of grilled fish and skewered chicken arrived, Ajax wasted no time getting to the heart of things.
"Sensei, what I want to propose is simple: A fully immersive One Piece world inside the VR realm of Axer Games. One where players don't just read about the Grand Line or watch it unfold—they live it."
Oda tilted his head, curious. "And how exactly do they live it? Do they become Luffy?"
"No," Ajax said, raising a finger. "They become themselves. Unique characters shaped by the laws you create. They'll start in East Blue—or an island you design—and work their way across the seas. Fighting Marines, forming crews, discovering islands, chasing dreams. Not as part of your canon. But parallel to it."
Oda tapped the rim of his sake cup thoughtfully. "So they coexist. But they don't interfere with Luffy's journey?"
"Exactly. The Straw Hats are legends in this world. NPCs. The players are part of a new generation—their own Age of Dreams."
That made the mangaka smile.
"Good. I wouldn't want people running around calling themselves Gomu Gomu no Luffy or copying Zoro's swords."
Ajax leaned forward. "But they can aspire to create their own Devil Fruits."
Oda blinked. "Wait. What?"
"You define the rules of Devil Fruits. The three types. The rarity. The cost. The limits. But here's the twist—in the VR world, players can unlock custom Devil Fruits through storyline quests, earned trials, and a touch of randomness. Each one unique. No duplicates."
Oda sat back, visibly intrigued. "And Haki?"
"Absolutely. Observational and Armament. Even Conqueror's—if they earn it. Through emotion. Through growth. It's tied to their reputation and legacy inside the VR."
Oda's eyes were burning now.
"I don't want players picking powers from a menu. One Piece isn't about that. It's about adventure and ambition. It has to feel earned."
Ajax smiled. "Then that's how we'll build it. Players will start with a dream, not a power. Whether it's to become a swordsman, a navigator, a musician, or even a shipwright, they'll have to train. To grow. The world will respond to them."
The table became a battlefield of ideas. Ajax produced a holographic tablet, showing maps, conceptual character trees, and an outline of how Axer Games would simulate seafaring. Ships wouldn't just be mounts or transport; they would be customizable, upgradable, and subject to weather, morale, and even mutiny if poorly managed.
"Crews will matter," Ajax explained. "Players can't solo their way through this world. They need alliances, trust, a shared dream."
Oda's fingers were already sketching on a napkin—a small shark-themed vessel with a grinning masthead and absurdly large cannons. "And factions?"
"Marine ranks, pirate crews, underground mafias, World Government spy networks, Revolutionary Army—all will be present. With evolving plots tied to player actions. You could even design hidden arcs."
Oda's grin widened. "So I could have an island that only appears during a certain lunar phase and only if the player has a musician in their crew?"
Ajax laughed. "Yes. That level of freedom is yours. We can even have Devil Fruit awakenings tied to emotional epiphanies. Not numbers. Not levels."
As the sun fully set and neon lights from the city shimmered on the water outside, their conversation deepened.
Oda explained the spiritual structure of his world—the unspoken codes among pirates, the justice-based morality of the Marines, and how dreams clashed or fused. Ajax, ever the listener, devoured it all. He didn't want to make a game. He wanted to make a second sea.
"And what about Log Poses?" Ajax asked.
Oda leaned in. "You can't use normal compasses in the Grand Line. Players need a Log Pose. And every island must mess with it differently."
"Perfect. We'll build it into their UI. Real-time environmental changes that reflect your narrative logic. We can even simulate illusions and sea kings beneath the depths."
By now, a second bottle of sake had joined the first. Empty plates were stacked like fallen sails. The izakaya had grown quiet except for the ambient tune of an old sea shanty playing from a dusty speaker.
Ajax finally took a breath, and then with solemn conviction said, "Oda-sensei. I told Toriyama-sensei, Kubo-sensei, and Kishimoto-sensei the same thing. If you join this project, you get full creative control inside the VR world. We won't change a thing without your blessing. You aren't licensing One Piece to us. You're evolving it with us."
Oda was quiet for a moment. Thoughtful. Reflective. The man who had drawn a boy with a straw hat chasing an impossible dream, who had turned paper and ink into legend.
Then he reached into his coat, pulled out a pen, and tapped the table.
"Then let's draw something new."
The gentle lap of the Sumida River echoed outside the windows, a rhythm of nature that complemented the clinking of sake cups and low chatter inside the nautically themed izakaya. Ajax Evarson and Eiichiro Oda had already spent nearly two hours discussing the core mechanics of a One Piece VR world under Axer Games, but neither man showed signs of exhaustion. On the contrary, Oda had grown more animated, his hands gesturing like he was sketching scenes in midair, while Ajax remained sharply attentive, fingers tapping softly on the wood of their booth in sync with each new idea.
"I want the world to feel endless," Oda said suddenly, his voice low but firm. "One Piece is a sea of stories. I don't want players to feel like they've reached the edge too soon."
Ajax nodded. "So we start them far away from the Grand Line. We give them an ocean to earn. I was thinking… the Four Blues."
Oda raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
Ajax leaned in, his fingers steepled. "Every player will begin their journey in one of the Four Blues: East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, or South Blue. It'll be semi-randomized, but determined by an extensive personality questionnaire before they even step into the world. Questions about ambition, loyalty, temperament, adaptability, and more. Based on that, we assign them to a starting ocean and a race."
That caught Oda's attention. "You're going beyond just humans?"
"Definitely," Ajax said, eyes glinting. "Players might be born as humans, fishmen, longarms, minks, sky islanders—even giants, in some rare cases. Each has its own stat balance, culture, prejudice, and perks. For example, a fishman might face racism from certain Marine-controlled towns, but have access to unique underwater quests and martial arts. Minks might awaken Electro naturally and have tribal ties in the New World."
Oda leaned back, visibly impressed. "That's… ambitious."
Ajax chuckled. "So is your manga."
A smile curled under Oda's beanie. "True enough. So this questionnaire… it's not just for balance?"
"No. It's for immersion," Ajax explained. "A player who answers that they value honor and family may end up a Wano-born human in East Blue, on a small island with samurai culture. Someone who craves strength and freedom might find themselves in a war-torn part of North Blue as a lone fishman orphan. We'll build villages, towns, hidden islands—every Blue will have at least fifty unique islands, each with their own weather systems, wildlife, quests, and lore."
Oda leaned forward now, completely invested. "So you're saying… I could design fifty islands for East Blue alone?"
Ajax nodded. "And every single one will follow your rules. If you say Island A has three volcanoes, a legendary sword buried in the mud, and a cursed marine base that was destroyed fifty years ago—we build that. If you say Island B is peaceful and exists only to make the best sake in the Blues, we build that too."
"I want islands that breathe," Oda said seriously. "Each one should have history. Culture. Their own dialects. Players should be able to live on an island for weeks before realizing that an ancient poneglyph was under their feet the whole time."
Ajax gave a small, knowing grin. "You'll have your lore teams. Historians. Artists. Engineers. If you want, we can even link events together. Say, a player accidentally awakens an old prophecy in West Blue—it could cause tsunamis in South Blue or stir up revolts in East Blue. Your world will react, not just exist."
Oda's eyes narrowed with intensity. "And Devil Fruits?"
"They'll exist in-game, but very rare," Ajax answered. "At the start, only pre-designed fruits will be available—those you approve. Over time, players might earn a unique fruit through a trial system we're calling 'The Pulse of the Sea.' Basically, the world chooses if they're worthy."
Oda laughed. "Like the sea itself is a sentient force."
Ajax grinned. "Inspired by your work, Sensei."
There was a long pause as their food arrived—fresh sashimi and grilled tuna collar. Ajax took a bite but never looked away from the man opposite him.
Oda, chewing thoughtfully, finally asked, "What about sailing?"
Ajax nodded, as if expecting the question. "Crews can be formed. Up to twelve per ship—captains, navigators, shipwrights, doctors, etc. Each role matters. We'll design ship modules with your input. The Grand Line? You can't even attempt to reach it without a Log Pose. And even then, players won't survive unless they've truly bonded as a crew. Weather patterns, sea kings, whirlpools, reverse currents—it'll be a test of every role on board."
Oda was practically vibrating with excitement now. "I want a zone in the Calm Belt where a single Sea King swims below an entire island, and the people there live in fear. Players can only pass by appeasing the Sea King with music or a fruit sacrifice. Not brute strength."
Ajax pointed at him. "Perfect. That's what I mean by adventure over stats."
Oda was grinning now, like a kid again. "You're not just letting them play in my world. You're letting them become part of its rhythm."
Ajax replied softly, "One Piece changed how people dream. I want that dream to be felt—not just seen."
A moment passed in silence, both men absorbing the scope of what was now not just a pitch, but a partnership in the making.
Then, Ajax leaned back and said casually, "There's one more thing."
Oda tilted his head. "Hm?"
"When a player dies in-game," Ajax said slowly, "they don't just 'respawn.' They wake up in a prison ship. A marine brig, floating somewhere between islands. Players can escape, but it's tough—and leaves a record. Or, they can pay a price: lose a weapon, forget a technique, or suffer a bounty increase that changes how NPCs react to them. Death has weight. But not the end."
Oda tapped his sake cup against Ajax's. "Good. That's very pirate."
Ajax smiled.
Oda glanced toward the paper lanterns, flickering like distant lighthouses. "So… when do we begin?"
Later that night – Outside the Izakaya – Quiet Tokyo Backstreet
The door closed behind Ajax, and the city air wrapped around him like a cool tide. His shoes clicked lightly against the pavement as he turned a corner, his hand already rising to the small communicator tucked discreetly into his collar.
He touched it. A soft chime.
"Alfred," he said quietly.
[Yes, sir?]
"He's in. Oda-sensei is in."
[Shall I prepare the One Piece Dev Archive?]
Ajax nodded, more to himself than anyone else. "Start with the Four Blues. Categorize the starter islands by Oda's regional logic—tech level, climate, race distribution. Begin constructing the questionnaire."
[Understood. Shall I also arrange a prototype of the Calm Belt Sea King event he mentioned?]
"Make it huge," Ajax whispered. "Make it mythic."
[It already is, sir.]
A pause.
Ajax let the Tokyo breeze wash over him. Somewhere in the city, perhaps already sketching in a spiral notebook, Oda was imagining a new island. A new danger. A new dream.
And soon, the world would sail with him.